The One Left Behind
by xXxWhiteGardeniaxXx
Summary: AU Time-travel fic. The Ryuusai has finally come to an end and Earthland didn't stand a chance. The dragons have completely taken over and the age of magic and miracles has come to an end. Lucy Heartfilia, one of the last survivors of this post apocalyptic world, will do anything to bring her friends back. Even if that means relying on the Book of Zeref. NaLu
1. Until We Meet Again

Hey guys. Just though I'd try out a new fandom and this idea has been stuck on my mind ever since the dragons appeared. Hope you like it and don't forget to leave a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Ch.1: Until We Meet Again

The air was filled with ash and decay; a faint metallic scent still lingering from the old blood stains on the broken cobblestone of the Flower Blooming Capital of Crocus. The ruins that were in its place were a morbid mockery of the famed name; there were no flowers to be seen here. All that was left were the dilapidated remains of buildings that once thrived with life.

A cloaked figure flitted through the fallen structures, a wraith in the wind. It ignored the scent of death that had seeped into the air, moving with single minded purpose. It abruptly stopped upon reaching the center of the decrepit city.

Stone turned gray from ash and fire, the once stunning Mercurius Palace was nothing but a pile of rocks, slowly turning to dust. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of years of history were ruined as if it were merely a castle made of sand.

The dragons had left absolutely nothing standing.

Even now they flew in the overcast skies above, roaring in triumph at the lands that they had conquered so easily from the weak humans. The figure melded in with the shadows of a broken wall with practiced ease as they soared past. Waiting silently, the hooded person clenched their fist tightly as the pack overhead finally flew away from the fallen capital before moving forward.

Weaving through cracked pipes and large fragments of stone, the figure made their way to a small clearing that was protected from view by a fallen tower. In the opening lay several rows of graves made clumsily from pieces of broken wood. Each was lovingly carved with a name and the symbol of a graceful fairy with a curious tail.

It was here that the mysterious figure finally pulled off their hood to reveal a mane of long blond hair, dirty and in disarray. Her dull eyes looked at every grave, and she slowly walked down each aisle before coming to a stop to crouch in front of the last grave. She gently rested a hand on the marker, tracing the curved letters that spelled the name '_Natsu Dragneel_._'_

"Lucy, we can't stay here too long. We have to move on," Leo's voice said softly as he materialized behind her with a flash. There was unspeakable sadness in those hazel eyes as he gazed down the line of graves. His heart clenched as he wondered, not for the first time, how things had turned out this way.

The blond remained silent, staring blindly ahead. Her face was gaunt and dirty fringes shaded dull eyes. She made no move to answer the lead Zodiac Spirit.

"Nii-sama is correct, Hime. We must leave before the dragons come back. Perhaps, if we look for survivors-"

"Survivors?" Brown eyes focused on the maid, narrowing dangerously, at last giving a response. "There are none. I haven't seen another human in over a year. Anyone left has either joined them or been enslaved. So please, tell me, what would be the point in that?" Her voice seeped with resignation and resentment.

Leo gave a soft sigh, "We can't lose hope, Lucy. That's the last thing they would want us to do."

Lucy stood abruptly, wobbling at the sudden movement, slapping away Leo's hands when he tried to steady her. "Hope?" She gave a dark deprecating laugh, full of loathing. "How can there be such a thing, anymore? The time of fairy tales and magic are over, Loki."

Leo and Virgo could only watch quietly as their master exhaled deeply, eyes clouded as she lost herself to bittersweet memories of a happier time. Back before death was at her heels and bitterness didn't taint her heart. Long gone was the cheerful blonde who gave determined smiles in the face of adversity. That girl had died with the last of her friends, years ago.

Mages were all but instinct in this new era, having been targeted in the initial onslaught. Of course, Fairy Tail had been one of the first guilds to fall. Despite the utter hopelessness they had been faced with, the entire guild still chose to fight to protect the civilians of the capital, even if it meant their inevitable deaths.

Not for the first time, Lucy wished they hadn't been so gallant, so brave, so determined. She realized that those very traits are what had defined their guild, yet that knowledge did nothing to soothe the rancor within her. If they hadn't been so, would they still be alive, sitting with her now? Or would they have died much earlier? It was useless to ponder, but these days Lucy found herself wondering such things all the time.

In the end she was all alone, and no amount of reminiscing would change that fact.

The world was essentially ending, and all she could do was stand on the sidelines and watch as everything went to hell; the last one standing, but powerless as always.

She was disgusted with her weakness and self-hatred burned within her. It had been years since the Grand Magic Games, yet she still lacked the power to make a difference. Too weak to protect what matters most.

Lucy was just so tired of it all. Running at the smallest sign of danger; drowning in painful memories; pining after people long gone; and trying so damn hard to hang on when she had lost the will to live long, long ago.

But what could she possibly do about it? Even if she could instigate a rebellion with what was left of humanity, they wouldn't even be able to defeat a single dragon let alone ten thousand; especially now that all the dragon slayers were dead. What could normal people hope to accomplish when even dragon slayers couldn't kill them? All that would do was led everyone to an even earlier death.

Leo and Virgo shared a worried glance as they watched brown eyes darken rapidly. They knew that their master's psyche was in a dangerous state. One could only take so much hardship before they inevitably broke. There was nothing they could do for her, other than be there for her. But maybe that just wasn't' enough.

Lucy knew that her Spirits could tell just how weary she had become. These days, it was getting harder and harder for her to push herself to do what was necessary to survive; gathering food, resting regularly, hiding from the enemy…when all she wanted to do was sleep and never wake up_._

She hated Acnologia, the dragons, and Rogue enough to _kill_, but even that scorching animosity was dimmed by the utter despair that suffocated her.

Lucy exhaled a small sigh, noticing their anxiety and gave them an apologetic smile, small but sincere, knowing that she was unfairly taking her frustrations out on them. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. Don't worry, though. I promise I'll leave soon so can you please give me some time alone? Tell the others not to worry. I just need some time to…think," she breathed out.

"Alright, Lucy," Leo replied. He hesitated a moment before continuing, "Lucy, just know that you can call us out anytime. We spirits will always be there for you." Beside him, Virgo gave a firm nod in agreement.

The blonde blinked in surprise at the admission before she gave them a smile, a mere ghost of her once bright grins but genuine nonetheless, "Yeah. Thank you."

As they disappeared, Lucy turned a considering look to her satchel before pulling out an abused tome out of its depths. Just touching the book sent a chill up her spine, its dark magic somehow sucking out the very warmth from the air.

In her hand Lucy held the one and only Book of Zeref.

Swallowing in trepidation she opened the book, stifling a gasp as the action sent a sudden gust of wind into the still air. Taking a moment to let the moment pass, she quickly flipped to the page that held a hand drawn picture of a very familiar gate.

The Celestial mage knew that what she was doing was dangerous and forbidden. If her spirits knew what she held they would never allow her to keep the book. If anything, they would find any possibly way to destroy it.

But Lucy couldn't allow them to do that. It had taken her a long time to muster up the resolve to even consider turning to such evil magic. It was her only option left now, her only way to possibly reunite with Fairy Tail…her _family_.

Dying in this apocalyptic world was not their fate. She wouldn't let it be.

.

.

.

Lucy took tentative steps, gazing in awe at the towering gate before her. She almost wanted to laugh. Even with all that destruction that had raged around it, the Eclipse Gate still stood tall, not even a scratch on it.

Walking up to it slowly, she rested a hand on the cool maginium metal, glad for once at Rogue's arrogance. Not a single dragon stood guard in front of the great doors much to her relief. Of course, the shadow dragon slayer most likely thought she had died years ago. With no Celestial Spirit mage left, there would be no one left to control the door.

The blonde pulled a clenched fist to her chest, closing her eyes as if in prayer. "That's right," she murmured quietly. "This life that everyone fought so hard to protect can finally be used to help them. That's why -!" She opened brown eyes that gleamed with determination bringing out her key ring.

The air quivered with energy as Lucy focused all her magic into the golden keys. Sweat slid down her brow as she concentrated on breathing in and out. With a flash of light all the Zodiac Spirits stood around her in a semi-circle, regal and powerful. Panting heavily, she regarded their looks of indignation.

"What on Earthland do you think you're doing, Lucy?" Leo shouted angrily, "Using all this magic at once could kill you. Not to mention what you're trying to accomplish. Zeref's magic is forbidden for a reason."

"I'm sorry, Lucy-san. But you can't do this!" Aries' normally soft voice was raised in her horror. "Please don't do this!"

"Lucy-sama, I beg you to reconsider. This is nothing more than a fool's errand," Capricorn said frantically, all but begging the girl.

Aquarius sneered as she grabbed a fistful of the heaving girl's cloak, pulling her closer so they were face to face. "You got a lot of balls, girly, trying to pull this crap on us. Do you even understand what it is you're doing?"

Lucy looked at her with unfocused eyes, giving a grim smile, "I do and I'm sorry. But I have to do this." The Water Bearer held her gaze, unmoved. "_Please_," the Celestial Mage breathed out piteously.

Aquarius could see the resolve in that gaze. She'd been with Lucy long enough to understand that nothing could change the girl's mind now. With a clenched jaw, the spirit shoved the girl away from her roughly, "Do what you want. I don't care."

Lucy turned to look at all her spirits, at all her friends. Perverted Taurus, considerate Virgo, kind Sagittarius, diligent Capricorn, shy Aries, tough Aquarius, mischievous Gemini, indifferent Libra, odd Pisces, quirky Cancer, fun Scorpio, and loyal Leo. How could she possibly express to all of them how much she loved them?

All of her spirits were speaking all at once, trying frantically to dissuade her. The buzzing in her ears made it hard to understand them all and she knew they were quickly running out of time. Her magic wouldn't last much longer.

"You knew all along? About what this gate can do?" she asked, question swallowed by the din of voices.

Leo held up a hand to silence them all, the only one to hear their master's query. "Lucy…you're right, we did. But how could we tell you about it? We've known for a long time that you were planning to use this gate but you can't do this, Lucy. If you do this you will die," there were tears in his eyes. "Please," he whispered desperately, "don't do this."

Lucy gave him a heartbreaking smile and raised a hand to cup his cheek, brushing away the tears with a thumb. "I'm sorry, Leo. But you know I can't do this anymore. Even if it doesn't work, I have to try." She brought her face close to his, touching her forehead gently to his, "Please, Loki," she whispered.

Leo closed his eyes in acceptance, slowly backing away to join the rest of the spirits. Each of them gazed back at her in solemn approval, despite their inner anguish, finally understanding that their master could not be dissuaded. "We understand. May the stars forever guide you."

"Thank you," Lucy murmured softly, tears slipping down her cheeks.

A golden light shown from the spirits as they flew into the gate, pushing its enormous doors open with surprising ease. From the opening emerged a blinding white light, filling the dilapidated surrounding with a harsh glow. Once the doors were fully open the spirits disappeared, their golden keys clinking as they fell to the floor.

"Until we meet again."

And with that, Lucy Heartfilia stepped into the light and the Eclipse gates closed behind her.

.

.

.

Lucy slowly blinked open her eyes, only to stare in wonder around her. Before her stood the vast starry skies of the celestial realm, unworldly in its infinite beauty. Looking down, she saw a translucent walkway that seemed to stretch into eternity. She began to walk forward.

"What doust thou think thee are doing, old friend?"

Lucy stopped in her tracks at the voice and was greeted by the sight of a humongous knight with gold and turquoise armor as he materialized from thin air. Gone from his face was the usually shit eating grin he sported, replaced by a stern look that seemed out of place on his normally genial face. His large mustache shook as he spoke, his deep voice reverberating in the still air.

"Changing the future," Lucy replied, voice cold with purpose. Her once bright eyes were cloudy with loss and pain. Never before had he seen the girl so utterly defeated. But there was the smallest spark behind those eyes and it gave him hope. Or it would have if it hadn't led to this meeting.

"Thoust cannot change what has been."

"I will." She continued forward and kept moving toward the glow in the distance, walking right under the King of Celestial Spirits that had attempted to bar her way.

"T'was written in the stars. Destiny cannot be changed." His proud stance became weary as his shoulders sagged, looking like the millennia old being he was. The sky seemed to darken around them, as if the very stars were dimming, "We are sorry for your loss, but what has happened is destined to be. All beings are powerless to stop fate, even we spirits."

Lucy stopped in her tracks, shoulders tense, taut as a wire, "Written in the stars?" She questioned voice barely above a whisper. "Destiny? Fate?" She twirled in place, eyes flashing in anger, "Screw that!" The yell echoed in the vast realm around them.

"You think that this was meant to be?" Her voice shook as she advanced on him, fist clenched and trembling in rage. "In case you haven't noticed, this world is done for. Look around! The dragons have taken over everything and everyone is as good as dead. With Acnologia and Rogue controlling them it's only a matter of time."

Tears poured from her eyes and it was all she could do to not simply scream in frustration, because if she started, she may never be able to stop. "Fate? She can go fuck herself for all I care!" She bit out her words spitefully and they burned with hatred.

The Celestial Spirit King stood in silence and could only watch as his 'old friend' slowly broke down. She was just so lost, her soul completely shattered. There was too much pain and sorrow for a being so fragile.

Lucy gulped down greedy breaths, trying to breathe past the desperate sobs that threatened to burst out. The sobs turned to shaky chuckles until suddenly she was full out laughing, hysterically, a cracked smile on pale lips, "Anyone I ever gave a damn about is gone. Why? Why am I the only one alive? Always the one left behind…"

Her morbid amusement faded but the silent tears didn't stop and she slowly fell to her knees, "I just can't do it any longer, Celestial King. Not without everyone. Not without Fairy Tail. Not without Natsu."

The silence was deafening. How was he to respond to that? Any words he could utter would never reach the girl. Even if he tried, they would be empty. Nothing but flimsy excuses.

Lucy raised her head and glared at him with defiant eyes, "If this is fate, then I will rewrite the stars myself! A future like this, with nothing but fire and death, is not our destiny! I won't let it be!" She pulled herself up and raised her fist awkwardly, "And if you get in my way, I'll take you down or die trying."

The great celestial being was silent as he considered the young maiden's words. The world was dying. And without any Celestial Wizards alive, the Celestial Spirits would forever be doomed to their realm, to exist in limbo for all eternity with no world to watch over or safeguard. An existence without a purpose was a fate worse than death.

The Great Spirit King looked down at the small girl before him. He looked at the claw marks that marred her once beautiful face and the burns that scarred her neck. Even with the thin cloak she wore he could see the empty folds of where her right arm had once been. Still, she stood tall and not once did she avert her gaze. Her eyes finally gleamed with life. This was the Lucy Heartfilia he knew. Stubborn. Proud. A fighter.

The Spirit King crouched and placed his palm before her, silently urging her to step on. Once she had he slowly raised her up so that they were looking eye to eye. "We know that thoust cannot be stopped. Ye are a stalwart lass. But ye must understand that one does not meddle with the powers that be. If ye do this there will be severe consequences, old friend."

Lucy felt the hair rise on the back of her neck at the ominous words but refused to falter. "Then, I will take them." Her breathe caught and she inhaled shakily for fear she would start bawling again. "I would do anything for them," her voice trembled and she watched him with misty eyes.

The ruler of all Celestial Spirits gave a deep sigh as he brought her back down, closer to the light than she once was. "We understand. Though we cannot aid thee directly, we bid thee good luck. And while ye may not believe us when we say this, thou art a true child of the stars. May they forever watch over thee." He held a clenched fist to his heart and gave her a deep bow.

Lucy blinked in wonder at the display and swallowed with difficulty. The King of all Celestial Spirits was lowering his head…to her? It was truly humbling and she would never forget how much he was doing for her in overlooking this. She was essentially breaking a fundamental law of the world.

Lowering her head, she reciprocated the bow. "Thank you, hige-oyaji" she whispered, her voice cracking in emotion. Lucy lifted her head and gave a weak but genuine smile which he returned full force at the familiar form of address. She turned and continued onward to the light, head held high, not once looking back.

.

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TBC


	2. Have We Met Before?

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Ch.2: Have We Met Before?

With a startled gasp, brown eyes flew open before clenching shut in pain. Lucy could only groan quietly at the agony that racked her body. Her body ached severely, feeling as if she had fallen off a steep cliff, and the pounding in her head left her feeling nauseous. Taking slow, deep breathes, the blonde tried desperately to think past the hammering in her head and the ache in her bones.

After what seemed like an eternity of simply breathing in and out, Lucy felt the pain fade enough to open her eyes. In confusion, she gazed up at an unfamiliar ceiling. '_Where am I?'_ Hands smoothed the sheets under her. How long had it been since she actually slept on a bed? Or been awarded the luxury of clean sheets and comfortable blankets? Gazing around, all she saw was a bare room with little furnishing. '_An inn?'_ she wondered.

The fingers on her right hand twitched and in her shock she swung her hand into the air so fast that the receding pain flared once again. Lucy ignored that, however, to stare in wonder at the appendage, smooth and white. "My arm…? But there's no guild mark," she whispered in a shocked, raw voice.

The Celestial Spirit mage slowly sat up in the bed and tried to make sense of where, or rather when, she was. Vaguely recognizing the room, her heart pounded fiercely. "It…worked…It worked!" she cried in amazement before coughing harshly at the strain on tender vocal cords. Her body throbbed and ached but she ignored it in her euphoria. A shaky hand reached for the newspaper on the nightstand. On the top of the front page in bold black letters, the date read June 30, X784.

Lucy Hearfilia of Fairy Tail had actually done it. She was back to the time _before_.

Before ash and smoke had clouded blue skies.

Before screams and cries replaced songs and laughter.

Before roars and claws had destroyed the guild that had been her home.

Before death had taken all that she loved.

Now she could finally change things so that maybe, just maybe, everyone would survive. The only problem was how. How can one person measure up against such a destructive force? Against a might so powerful that it had been enough to tear the very world apart. When only one dragon is fabled to be able to cause the apocalypse, how can the masses even hope to survive an onslaught of _thousands_? Lucy had no clue.

"_Thoust cannot change what has been."_

The words of the Celestial Spirit King echoed ominously in her mind. Looking down at the unmarked hand again, her earlier euphoria started to dwindled. Her plan may have worked, but in the end could she really make a difference? What if fate really couldn't be changed?

Running a hand down her face, the blonde marveled at how smooth the skin felt. She could no longer feel the scars that had once marred her face. This body…was her past self's. So what had happened to the soul of her old self? Had it vanished when future Lucy had come back? Did she no longer exist? The thought unsettled her.

Was she saving the future for her past self or simply stealing it away from her?

A knock sounded at the door and Lucy jumped in surprise. Making her way to the door unsteadily, she opened it and was greeted with a kindly face. Before Lucy stood an old lady that the blonde thought seemed somewhat familiar. Her stomach grumbled as the smell of food wafted toward her.

"Thank goodness, dear. I was starting to get worried when you didn't come down all of yesterday." The old woman entered the room and placed a tray of food on the table. "Are you feeling alright?" The dark circles and pallor of the blonde had the lady frowning anxiously. She placed a cool hand on Lucy's forehead in worry, "You look like death warmed over, dear! Now you take in some warm food and rest. I'll come in to check on you later." Giving one last nurturing smile, the woman left as fast as she had come.

"Thank you, Sofie-san," Lucy murmured, giving a nostalgic smile as she watched the lady go. She was slowly starting to remember, her past (_recent?) _memories resurfacing.

Thinking back, Lucy remembered that after she ran away from home, she had managed to find this small inn at the edge of a far off town. The owner, Sofie-san, had been so kind that the Celestial Spirit mage had decided to splurge on the bed and breakfast despite her minimal savings. The old lady had been what the blonde imagined her own grandmother would have been like from her mother's old stories. Her young and lonely counterpart must have unconsciously craved the security of a maternal figure.

Lucy made her way over to the only window in the room. When she opened it, the salty scent of the sea permeated the room. The blonde took a moment to simply relish the fresh breeze, taking slow, deep breathes.

Whether or not she did the right thing was something Lucy couldn't answer and probably would never be able to. But now that it's been done, all she could do was her best. She owed at least that much to her past self.

"_If ye do this there will be severe consequences."_

A chill set in her bones as she remembered the forbidding warning but her resolve didn't waver. Whatever consequences there may be she would take them on, no matter what. What more could fate take away from her that she hadn't lost already?

Hearing the cacophony of voices outside, Lucy looked out below and watched the crowds of people in amazement. The bustling harbor and thriving market, it had been too long since she had seen so many people; all so carefree and happy. "Hargeon," she muttered wistfully. Brown eyes widened when the blond processed that thought.

"What a minute…Hargeon!?" Lucy exclaimed in shock. She hurried over to the bed side table and grabbed the newspaper on top of it. The date written on the corner stared back at her.

"…_You didn't come down all of yesterday…"_

"Crap!" she yelled rushing about the room, wincing as her body protested, trying to get dressed for the day. "I'm going to be late!"

If she didn't hurry, then Lucy would miss their meeting and then everything would be ruined.

Because today…was the day she met Natsu Dragneel.

.

.

.

Lucy was already starting to regret her decision to go outside no matter how necessary.

This sentiment was mostly her being whiney, though personally she thought herself to be justified. In her rush, the blonde had not had enough time to fully enjoy the food Sofie-san had graciously prepared and was severely regretting it. Hunger added to the fact that her body still ached from after effects of going through the Eclipse gate and the summer heat certainly wasn't doing her any favors. Not to mention…

"My beautiful kittens! Please, please, don't fight over me. There's plenty of the Salamander to go around!"

Bora was seriously starting to piss Lucy off. She could feel her fingers twitch with the need to cause bodily harm to the pretentious fake but she held herself back. This, however annoying it was, was a necessary part of the timeline.

As if sensing her ire, the imposter's eyes flitted to hers. Bora's gaze flitted over her form in an extremely obvious once over, dismissing the sickly pallor she held in favor of her voluptuous body, he gave a satisfied smirk, "I see that you too are mesmerized by my brilliance, young lady. Please give me the honor of being your escort to the party this evening."

The surrounding flock of girls wailed in disappointment but the man ignored them and reached a hand toward Lucy planning to plant a gentlemanly kiss on her hand. The blonde, however, had other plans as she promptly slapped his hand away, giving a beautiful but sharp smile, "Don't touch me you phony bastard." '_Whoops…did I say that aloud?'_

Bora's mouth gaped at her blatant rejection. His group of fans hissed at her in anger, glaring at her in hatred but Lucy ignored them. '_Crap! That wasn't supposed to happen… but if it's come to this, then screw continuity!_ _I'll show this loser just what I thought of his charm magic.'_

The 'Salamander' shook off his shock with a laugh, fiddling with the heart shaped ring on his finger. "It seems the young lady is confused," he said to his groupies in a loud voice.

The Celestial Spirit mage could feel a vein pulse in anger, "Confused, am I? Look here you-"

"Igneel! Is that you!?"

Her rant was cut off by a familiar voice.

Lucy turned away from the pompous man to look at the source. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the young boy running toward them. His wind tussled hair was a spikey as ever, the bright shade of pink ("_It's salmon, dammit!") _bright in the afternoon sun. Onyx eyes were wide with excitement as he ran toward the 'Salamander.' Happy followed after him dutifully, wings flapping furiously. They both looked so young and innocent; unmarred by war and death.

'_Natsu…'_

As the duo approached their merry appearance darkened into something morbid. Lucy fought to swallow down the bile that rose to her throat as her mind overlapped their image with the last memory she had of both of them. Happy's blue fur became matted with ash and blood, his body battered and broken.And Natsu…Oh Mavis, Natsu…

Lucy turned away from them quickly, hands clenched tightly to hide their trembling. She took slow deep breaths, desperately willing the nausea rolling in her stomach to subside. Swallowing with difficulty she forced herself to remain calm, trying to slow the rapid beating of her heart. Now was not the time to become an emotional wreck. They were here, alive and breathing, and that was all that mattered.

Dear gods, how she had missed them.

The Celestial mage turned back just in time to watch Natsu confront the charlatan. The real Salamander looked at Bora in confusion, "Who the hell are you?"

"Me? I'm the great mage Salamander, of course!" Bora replied pompously though the beads of sweat on his forehead were a telltale sign of his growing anxiety.

While the two of them continued their discussion (read: fight) Lucy backed away into the crowd, glad for the distraction. The ensuing chaos, more than anything else she had experienced this day, had the blond feeling ridiculously nostalgic. Not to mention weary.

Lucy waited for the violent group of girls to break up their mob before approaching the mumbling fire mage. Her palms were sweaty and her heart nearly beat itself out of her chest in her worry and excitement. She could finally, _finally_ talk with her long lost partner.

"Geez! Those girls might just be worse than Erza!" Natsu rubbed his head in annoyance. He lay on the ground, batter and bruised, his onyx eyes narrowed in irritation.

"I don't think that's possible, Natsu," Happy snickered, enjoying the boy's exasperation.

Lucy had to resist the urge to hug the adorable cat and sob into his fur like a child. It had been way too long since she had last held the blue feline or heard his playful teasing. Mentally shaking those thoughts away, she steeled her nerves and held out a hand, relieved that it wasn't shaking. Her eyes were drawn to onyx eyes that were alight, burning with life. When she looked at them it was much easier to hold the phantoms of her past back.

A hand appeared in front of Natsu and he gazed up curiously, following the hand to its owner. It led to a young girl who appeared to be around his age. She looked as if she would fall over any minute, dark circles ringed her eyes and she look as pale as snow. Even so, the blond offered him a friendly grin with warm brown eyes, stance firm despite the sweat that slid down her exhausted face. "Thanks for the help back there. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't distracted that creep!"

The dragon slayer took her hand and stood up slowly. Lucy was starting to get worried when his stare didn't leave her face. '_Did I do something strange? I'm pretty sure I did this last time around…'_

"Have we met before?" he asked, brows furrowed in confusion. The boy leaned forward, way into the blonde's personal space, and took a couple sniffs. "This scent smells familiar…"

"Do you smell it too?" the blue cat asked in surprise. "Somehow I feel the same way. It's a very nostalgic scent." He turned to Lucy excitedly, "We've met before, right?"

Lucy took a nervous step back, eyes widening in shock. What the hell were they talking about? They shouldn't have met 'her' in this timeline yet. An after effect of the Eclipse gates magic, perhaps? For all she knew, they could be experiencing something similar to déjà vu. She certainly hoped so; Lucy wouldn't be able to live with herself if she had somehow altered their memories with her arrival. No one needed the kinds of memories she had been forced to live through.

Just as Lucy finished her internal speculation, a hand waved in front of her face, "Heelllooo! You in there? What a weirdo..." the pink haired boy murmured annoyed.

A spark of irritation flared in her and, in what she would swear was reflex; the blonde struck a fist to the back of Natsu's head. "Who are you calling a weirdo? If anything you're the weirdo! Getting in my personal space and using cheesy pick-up lines. I'm pretty sure I would've remembered meeting someone as rude as you!"

"Ow! What was that for!? I was just trying to get your attention, you space case!" Inwardly the boy was surprised. For such a sickly looking girl, she sure packed a punch.

"Pfft. You have to admit that she has a point Natsu! It totally sounded like you were trying to hit on her." Happy chimed in, holding back his laughter as the Fire Dragon Slayer scratched his head in confusion at his words.

"'Hit on her'? But I didn't even touch her!" Natsu whined, Happy's teasing going way over his head.

Feeling a headache coming on at the inevitable argument, Lucy pointed a shaking finger at the Exceed, determined to change the subject. "A flying _and_ talking cat!? You guys are definitely the weird ones here!"

"Hey!" Natsu cried in indignation, "Happy is Happy. There isn't anything weird about him!"

"Aye, sir!"

Lucy crossed her arms, "Sure, whatever," she huffed in exasperation. "Regardless of your rudeness _and_ weirdness, I still owe you for getting rid of Bora. Are you two hungry? It'll be my treat."

As if on cue, a resounding growl stretched in the silence between them.

Natsu and Happy gave matching sheepish grins. "Well if you insist…" the cat answered coyly.

As the duo marched off toward their restaurant of choice, Lucy hung back to watch them fondly with sad eyes. Words couldn't describe how overjoyed she was to see them, but at the same time, a part of her knew it wasn't the same. The Natsu and Happy before her weren't _her_ Natsu and Happy. They wouldn't be for a long time, if not ever. Not truly.

Lucy tried to tell herself it didn't matter. So what if they may never be the same people that she remembered? As long as they were happy and alive, that was all she could ever hope for.

Even so, a selfish part of her couldn't help feeling lonely.

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If Lucy had to pick one thing that she hadn't missed, it would have been Natsu's _horrendous_ table manners.

'_Geez, just how much can this guy pack in that vacuum he calls a stomach?'_

"Soff, whoff arff mppff?"

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that? Preferably, without the mouth full of food." Lucy replied with a vaguely disgusted look.

Natsu swallowed quickly, "Who exactly are you? Not that I don't appreciate what you've done for us. Happy and I were starving…but out of money," he muttered sheepishly.

'_I can probably guess why'…_Lucy thought with a sweatdrop, thinking back on all the destruction Natsu caused during their missions and all the reward money they had lost to compensate it. "That's right, pardon my manners. My name is Lucy and I've been on a journey to find a certain guild. What about you two?"

"Natsu Dragneel. And this here is my partner Happy. You're looking for a guild?" he asked curiously.

Lucy grinned at the prompting. Maybe this time she could have a bit of fun. After all, it had always bugged her that Natsu failed to tell her he was a mage of Fairy Tail when they first met. At the time she had been too caught up in the excitement of joining the guild that she never called him out on it. Now, however, there was plenty of time to achieve some much needed revenge. "Yeah. I've read that it's the number one guild in Fiore."

Natsu leaned forward eagerly, "What's it called?"

"Phantom Lord!" Lucy clapped her hands together and feigned a look of adoration. "I've heard they're the strongest guild in the world and their master is even one of the ten Wizard Saints!"

The dragon slayer's mouth dropped open in shock and he dropped the drumstick in his hand. Happy looked at her like she had the head of a chicken. Two pairs of eyes bugged out in abject horror. "What!?" they exclaimed as one.

Lucy tilted her head cutely, blinking innocently, "What's the problem?"

Natsu sputtered an answer, "Wh..where'd the hell you hear that!? There's no way that's true! You can't really want to join _them_."

"That's right!" Happy added. "They're just a guild of bullies!"

They looked so ridiculous with their wide eyes and food splattered faces that Lucy couldn't keep up her act. She laughed so hard that her shoulders shook in her mirth. It felt so good to just laugh in pure amusement. Mavis knows there had been little laughter left in her after the world went to hell.

Just as the fit had subsided, Lucy looked up at the pair and giggled all over again at their looks of bafflement, "Ya, bwahaha, you should have, haha, seen the look on your faces!"

"W-what…?" The poor boy and feline were so lost.

"Honestly, Natsu, Happy, I wasn't serious. Why the heck would I want to join them? They're nothing but a bunch of brutes. Even I can tell that much from all the articles written about them," she replied, rolling her eyes. "The guild I'm actually looking for is Fairy Tail."

Natsu blushed faintly in embarrassment and Lucy stifled a smile at the pout on his face, "I knew that," he grumbled.

"Lucy sure got you good Natsu!"

"She got you too didn't she Happy!"

"_Anyways_," the blonde cut in, "Enough about me. What are you guys here for? I take it that you weren't looking for that fake, Bora."

The fire mage straightened in excitement, "I was looking for my dad, Igneel!"

"Natsu's dad is suuuper strong and amazing!" Happy added.

"That's right, because he's a fire dragon!"

Lucy had to fight to keep her expression deadpan. _Igneel_. It had been a long time since she had heard that name. After the night of the Ryuusai few dared to utter the names of any dragons without instilling fear and hate into those within the hearing vicinity.

"A dragon… You're kidding right? How could a fire breathing _dragon_ be your dad? Besides, why in Earthland would you think a dragon would be in the middle of a town?"

Natsu and Happy gave her a dumbstruck look, as if they hadn't considered just how ridiculous their quest had been. "I hadn't really thought of that," the salmon haired boy muttered, expertly ignoring Lucy's outraged cry of disbelief at the admission. "Anyway, it really is true! Igneel raised me when I was a kid. He's a super powerful and awesome fire dragon. But even though he's a big and tough dragon, Igneel really loves humans –"

"You're wrong," Lucy whispered, clenching the hands in her lap to hide their trembling. It was hard to stop the bitterness from seeping into her voice. Hearing the loving tone Natsu used to describe the dragon of fire made goose bumps rise all over her body.

But Natsu continued as if he hadn't heard her, "He taught me everything he knew about them. There was this one time – "

"Stop!" The blond yelled, unwilling to hear the rest.

Natsu paused in shock, looking over at the girl. Lucy had lowered her head so that blond bangs covered her expression. He blinked slowly in bewilderment, only offering a stunned, "Wha-?" before he noticed the pallor of the girl before him. The blonde hadn't exactly looked healthy beforehand but now she looked even paler. "Are you okay?" Natsu asked, concerned.

Lucy bit her lip, cursing herself for the outburst. She made a complete spectacle of herself and now Natsu and Happy probably thought she was even weirder than before. But, it wasn't as if she could help it. It was just so hard for her to hear him speak so happily about those reptilian bastards after everything she had been through. Especially after Igneel…

There were so many things she wanted to tell Natsu, about the future, the dragons, and the Ryuusai. But how could she tell him that everyone in Fairy Tail would die because of dragons? Or describe to him just how terrifying the creatures he admired so much really were? Not only were the creatures said to be extinct but the boy absolutely adored them. She couldn't even imagine how Gajeel and Wendy would react to such news.

How does one go about telling people who were raised by dragons that their parents are the very ones that would end up killing them?

The Celestial mage raised her head defiantly, "I said 'you're wrong!'" There's no way dragons could ever like humans," she gave a fake laugh, trying to dispel the awkwardness between them. "Fire-breathing lizard liking puny humans? No way!"

Natsu glared at her crossly, "You may not believe me but Igneel's not like that at all! I'll prove it to you and everyone else…Someday."

Lucy looked away to hide a sad smile, "Yeah, sure." She looked at her watch, figuring she should leave before making even more slip ups. Besides she had an old friend she needed to find. "I should probably be heading out now."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Happy asked worriedly, "You didn't really eat anything and you don't look too great."

Lucy blinked in surprise at the feline's concern, unexpectedly not offended by the rather blunt observation. Despite the hunger that had gnawed at her earlier, nausea prevented her from reaching for any of the food they had ordered. Whether that was due to the duo's atrocious way of eating or her weakened body, she wasn't sure. Truthfully, she felt like crap but she wasn't about to let that stop her. There were too many things occurring today for her to just sleep through it and hope she felt better the next morning.

"I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern," the blond replied with a smile. "I'll leave the money here. Feel free to take your time. And thank you again for helping me." Suddenly remembering something, she quickly added, "_Please_ don't thank me. Seriously, I mean it. _Don't_" She gave them a glare that could rival the famed Titania before turning back toward the exit.

With that Natsu and Happy watched the mysterious blond quickly walk away.

"Do you think she'll be okay Natsu?"

"I'm sure she will, Happy," the Dragon Slayer, answered though admittedly he felt a bit worried himself. The girl looked as if she would keel over any minute. Natsu gave a mischievous grin as he thought up a wonderful idea. "I have a feeling we'll meet her again, don't you Happy?"

Catching sight of the boy's smile, the Exceed gave an excited, "Aye, sir!"

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Lucy couldn't contain a squeal of excitement as she gazed at the silver key in her hand. Nothing could bring her mood down. Not even having to deal with that stingy old shop keeper again. Though, ironically he charged her less for the key this time around on account of her "deplorable health" than he had when she used her 'sex appeal' strategy.

Go figure. Who could've known that being god awful sick had its merits? Maybe she should employ that tactic more often…

The blonde raised the key into the air, admiring the way the sunlight made it gleam. "Now I can see Plue again," she sighed wistfully.

So many battles. So many lost friends.

Lucy had parted with dozens of Celestial Spirits over the years. When the key to the Canis Minor gate had been destroyed, the blond had cried for days on end, lamenting the loss of one of her dearest friends.

Silver keys were very durable, but the magic that had formed them was nowhere near as strong as the ancient magic that created the golden Zodiac keys. The Zodiac keys are said to be nigh indestructible and were theorized to have been molded when the stars themselves were born. Silver keys, on the other hand, were shaped by powerful wizards. There was no way they could have withstood the old magic of the dragons.

Lucy shook her head at the thought, trying to clear her mind. Now was not the time to reminisce on such depressing thoughts. The Celestial Spirit mage carefully added her new key to the rest of her collection before looking toward the harbor where the setting sun had dyed the sea a burnt orange. "I guess it's about time to head to that stupid party huh?" She groaned out.

Dragging her feet, Lucy began her arduous journey to the outlandish ship that was crowding the rest of the dock. She made sure to ignore the shaking bush along the park pathway despite the strange murmuring of "nin-nin" that was coming from it. Holding back a sigh, the blonde had to resist the urge to call her stalkers out. Natsu and Happy wouldn't understand subtlety even if it came and slapped them in the face.

It was weird though. Lucy couldn't remember the two following her before. Then again, maybe they did. At the time, she had been too excited at the prospect of being invited to Fairy Tail by _the _Salamander.

How ironic was it that after everything that occurred, that's exactly what had ended up happening.

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"I'm glad you could have made it, my kitten. After our brief meeting earlier, I was worried that I wouldn't have the opportunity of basking in your wonderful presence," the blue haired man crooned out, a perverse grin on his face.

Lucy slouched further in her seat, leveling the man an unimpressed glare. Honestly, she was surprised she had even made it on the ship. In her haste to get this stupid party over with, she had forgotten to dress up for the event. Though part of that may or may not have been due to laziness…

Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you looked at it) Bora had caught sight of her just as the guards at the entrance made to turn her away. This is why she now had the pleasure of listening to him prattle on like a complete doofus.

"Look," she interrupted, thankfully before he tried to offer her drugged up drinks. "There's only one reason why I'm here."

"Oh," his eyebrows rose in interest, "and what is that?" He asked mockingly.

Ignoring the tone, Lucy stared him down with serious brown eyes. "To ask what you hope to accomplish by impersonating a Fairy Tail mage."

Bora gave a shocked grimace at the accusation, "What in the world are you talking about, dear? Surely you've heard of the great Salamander before?"

Lucy crossed her arms, giving the blue haired man a bored look. "Of course. Who hasn't? That's why I know enough to know that you're _nothing_ like the actual Salamander." A smirk formed on the blonde's face. "Can you even do any fire magic?" A condescending laugh left pale lips, "Well, even if you can, I bet you wouldn't even be able to light a candle with it!"

The false mage's face turned red in embarrassed anger, "Who the hell are you to question me, you floozy?"

The Celestial Spirit mage slammed her hands on the table before her violently, startling the man across from her. "Who the hell are you to impersonate someone I admire? Who the hell are you to disgrace the guild that I've looked up to and respected since I was a child!? Fairy Tail is made up of mages that accomplish their missions with confidence and pride, always doing the best they can regardless of reward or praise!"

Lucy took in deep breaths, trying to calm the torrent of rage that flooded her. In her previous life, she had been infuriated and mortified to discover the type of disgusting mage 'Salamander' had been. But now, after all the memories she shared of Fairy Tail and her fellow guildmates, Lucy could barely contain her fury. How _dare_ this bastard make a mockery of their bond?

The blonde straightened from her hunched position and gazed at Bora with hard eyes, "You, who uses cheap charm magic to swindle young and naïve girls, will _never_ be a Fairy Tail mage and you will pay for tarnishing their name, Bora of Prominence."

Bora's eyes widened in shock at the sudden unveiling of his identity, "How did you…"

Lucy didn't elaborate. She simply stood, grabbing the whip hanging at her side. With a flick of her wrist, she slapped it to the wooden floor threateningly. The loud crack that ripped the air caused the purple haired man to flinch.

Bora stared at her a moment before straightening himself pompously, "You think you can intimidate me, little girl?"

"I already have. And I _know_ I can kick your ass," she quipped confidently.

The man snarled derisively, "We'll see about that. Let's teach her a lesson, boys!"

At the cry, the curtains that had been hung around the 'private' room were pulled back. From behind them, a large group of burly males poured out. Some of them even had the gall to carry unconscious females in their arms while they positioned themselves to attack her.

Lucy leveled them all with an unimpressed look, "What? Are you idiots supposed to impress me or something?"

The gaping looks on their faces at her lack of fear quickly turned to rage and with a vicious yell they converged on her at once.

Smirking, Lucy waited until the thugs surrounded her on all sides before she struck, quick as a cobra. Spinning in place in a faux pirouette, she twirled her whip as if it were a ribbon, slapping the leather harshly against her attackers' faces. With each rotation, her whip gained more momentum until finally the force was enough to push the ring of men back.

"Idiots! You fools can't even take care of one weak little girl?" Bora yelled in frustration. "I'll handle this myself!" He raised a hand toward the blonde, purple flames curling within his palm.

Anticipating this, Lucy with a golden key already in hand, swiped the bottle of wine off the table behind her. She quickly poured it out, sticking the key in the gushing liquid and turned, "Open! Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"

Lucy concentrated on the flow of her magic, channeling it to the warm key in her hand. The action was second nature to the Celestial Spirit mage. But instead of the resonance that usually came with the union of her magic to that of the spirit within the key, Lucy could feel herself losing control. When she felt the energy explode within her, she immediately knew something was wrong. Horribly terribly wrong.

Without warning, the connection between Lucy's magic and the ancient magic within the golden key broke. The air stilled and her body suddenly felt heavy, as if she had exhausted all her magic. The zodiac key fell to the floor with a clatter, slipping out of numb hands, and the wine bottle shattered to pieces beside it.

Lucy fought to control her breathing, desperately trying to regulate her magic. She fell to her knees, hugging herself to stop the tremors in her body. Pain racked her small frame and she bit her lip harshly to hold back a cry. Unable to endure it any longer, her voice rent the air as she screamed in excruciating agony. Golden sparks of magic crackled across her body.

"What the hell!?" Bora stared, dumbstruck, at the girl screaming in front of him. He extinguished his flames as soon as the blonde had started freaking out. When she made no move to stop, he cautiously approached her, ready to knock her out and capture her once and for all. Upon approaching her, however, he recoiled, face and hands stinging from the flicker of light magic that snapped at him.

Debating whether or not to move closer, Bora stood just outside the girl's range. Just as he decided to take another step toward the fallen blonde, the ceiling shattered in a shower of splintering wood chips.

Landing in a low crouch, in all his bad ass glory, was Natsu. Onyx eyes zeroed in on Lucy, narrowing as he saw the girl writhing in agony. The cries he had heard from outside the ship seemed to have died down as the magic circulating her body finally dissipated.

"Lucy!" the dragon slayer yelled, moving to get closer only to fall back to the ground. Nausea turned his stomach as the cruise ship swayed. '_Not now!' _he mentally whined as his motion sickness kicked in.

"Don't worry Natsu, I got her!" Happy cried as he flew in from the hole in the ceiling. He gingerly grabbed Lucy with his tail before making his way out the same exit.

Bora and his henchmen finally snapped out of their shock as they watched one of their prizes escape. "Don't let her escape," the shady fire mage yelled, "or else the council will capture us all!"

Shakily standing to his feet, Natsu blocked their path, "You guys…ain't going…anywhere."

Unimpressed by the heaving boy in front of them, Bora sneered, "Who the hell are you to stop us?"

Leveling them with a glare, the Dragon Slayer pushed down the urge to puke long enough to say, "A _real_ mage of Fairy Tail. I'm here to kick your ass, you fa- Urp!"

This is…if he didn't end up vomiting all over the place first.

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TBC

Surprise?


	3. What Happens Now?

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

Ch. 3: What Happens Now?

Everything hurt.

Breathing, thinking, even doing nothing brought about excruciating pain. Every pore on her body felt as if they were being stabbed with a jagged knife and each inhale burned her insides. Her heart fluttered weakly as if even continuing to beat was too difficult a task.

Lucy wondered if she was dying.

And while that thought should have alarmed her, relief at the thought of escaping the overwhelming agony overshadowed the nagging sense that something was _wrong_.

_"You're giving up already?"_ A deep, husky voice echoed from the confines of her memory.

Giving up...? Yes, maybe she was. She was just so _tired_…tired of running, tired of fighting, tired of struggling to survive. If she let herself fall into oblivion, would the pain finally go away?

_"I thought you were stronger than that, Lucy."_

Stronger? Yeah, she had thought that too, once. But now, she knew better. She'd been through too much to turn away from the reality of just how pathetically weak she really was.

_"So you're going to end this by dying? Stop running away!"_

The condemnation ignited a flame of anger within her. Why couldn't he ever leave her alone? What more did he want from her? She'd tried her best, god damn it! So now that it was the end, couldn't she get some peace and quiet? Didn't she deserve as least that much?

But even as she internally seethed, the niggling sense of wrongness grew. It felt as if she was forgetting something extremely important and that only made her angrier. What! What was she not remembering!?

"_You're part of Fairy Tail, the guild that doesn't know when to stop! So get up and _fight_!" _

'Fairy Tail,' she thought, repeating the familiar words over and over until her fractured memories fell into place and her mind clawed its way back to consciousness.

Chestnut eyes snapped open despite the drowsy weight and unshed tears that glued them shut. A choked gasp left her dry throat when the view of the ocean from hundreds of feet in the air entered her vision.

The rapid beating of her heart burned her chest and her breaths came in panicked pants. The sudden height certainly frightened her but it was the thought of what she had almost done that terrified her the most.

How could she have even considered giving in like that? The pain she felt right now was nothing compared to the agony of losing every person she had ever loved. The thought of having nearly wasted the chance of saving them filled her with horror.

"Wha-wha'z hap'nin?" the blonde slurred out, tongue heavy. Her aching limbs flailed weakly in distress.

"It's okay!" a childish voice assured her from above, "I've got you."

'Happy_'_ her mind supplied helpfully, finally registering the sound of beating wings from overhead. Instantly, her heart calmed its rapid beating and her breathing slowed, the familiarity of his presence soothing her nerves in a way nothing else could. Lucy trusted the blue feline to keep her safe, knowing he could be pretty reliable when he put his mind to it.

"Natsu and I came as soon as we could. We heard you screaming when got close to the ship. What did they do to you?" The Exceed asked, worried.

Lucy's fuzzy mind struggled to process the words. Once they sunk in, she shook her head fractionally, not up to explaining. "Na'zu?"

"He's still onboard that flashy ship taking out the creepy weirdo with the purple hair."

Lucy blinked slowly, urging her dazed thoughts to focus. The adrenaline from her earlier panic was finally kicking in enough for the pain to become bearable. She glanced behind them to the ship that was still sailing away from the harbor. "We gotta go ba' an 'elp 'im."

Happy shook his head frantically, "Natsu can handle a weakling like that easy!" the cat determinedly, trying to mask his concern for the Dragonslayer. "We have to get you to a doctor first. You look like you're going to faint again and I can barely feel your magic!" he insisted, alarm making his voice shrill. Exhausting one's magical store could be deadly for a mage.

The Celestial mage made a sound of disagreement, "I'm fine," she said slowly, glad that her mouth decided to start agreeing with her brain. "We need to stop that ship. Natsu won't be able to if he's too busy fighting Bora."

Against his better judgment, Happy hesitated. Lucy brought up a good point. She couldn't have known it, but getting the ship to stop would be doing Natsu a huge favor. The feline knew how crippling Natsu's motion sickness was. It was very likely that the Dragonslayer was getting his butt handed to him while they were hovering indecisively. There's no way Natsu would be able to put up a decent fight as long as that ship continued swaying.

Still, Lucy was sick. She neededmedical attention. _Badly_. But as much as he'd like to drop her off on the shore and come back to help Natsu out, Happy knew his Aera wouldn't last that long.

"Happy," the blonde pleaded, "we have to hurry. If we wait any longer it'll be too late." Every second they wasted, the vessel sailed farther and farther away from the harbor.

"Okay," he relented, hoping he wouldn't regret the decision. "But only long enough to stop the boat! After that we're taking you straight to the doctor!"

Lucy nodded. She could work with that. Now their only problem was how they would go about accomplishing that. Without her spirits…Lucy cursed her sluggish mind. It wasn't as if they had all the time in the world to work with. She formed a rough plan with difficulty.

"Happy, take us to the helm!"

Eh, they'd figure it out along the way. That was the Fairy Tail way after all.

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A fist covered in purple flames slammed into Natsu's face, sending him flying harshly into the wall. Getting up slowly, the Dragonslayer's growl of frustration quickly turned into a moan when the boat swayed violently.

Bora laughed at the pitiful visage of his opponent, "Are all Fairy Tale mages this pathetic?"

Natsu glared darkly; smoke seeping out of his nostrils in anger. He had no doubt that he could take this joke of a fire mage out with a single punch. The only problem was that he couldn't seem to focus long enough to land one. It took everything he had not to decorate the floor with his lunch.

Just as he was about to respond to the egoistical man, the boat made a sharp turn and all the occupants of the room fell to the ground at the rough movement. Slipping and sliding across the deck, Natsu could feel food rising to his throat and he almost lost it right there.

"What the hell was that?" Bora shouted angrily, "Who gave permission to change course?" The thugs looked at one another in confusion. No one had an answer and their employer snorted derisively, "Then someone better find out why we're heading back to Hargeon!"

A trio of henchmen moved to the only door leading out of the chamber only to be surprised by the view of a flying cat blocking their way. The blue feline flew past them to grab the flabbergasted teen in the back with his tail.

"Happy!" Natsu cried, snapping out of his shock, "What the heck are you doing here? What about Lucy?"

"I've learned something today, Natsu," Happy said sagely, ignoring the question, "Lucy is just as stubborn as you are."

"Huh?"

"Enough!" Bora practically frothed out, apoplectic. "You think having your flying pet around will allow you to defeat _me_?"

Natsu and Happy looked down at the man with an expression that seemed to say, 'Oh yeah, that guy was here,' which only served to infuriate him further. The Dragonslayer smirked at the man's anger, reveling at a frustration that wasn't his own. Now that he wasn't fighting the urge to barf, Natsu could properly enjoy the beat down that was about to occur.

"Happy ain't a pet, idiot," Natsu replied, irritated by the assumption but amused at the man's rage. "And I would have been able to kick your ass ages ago if this stupid ship would stop moving. But enough talk," his gaze sharpened, aging his normally boyish features. "It's time to make you pay for looking down on Fairy Tail."

"Oh, really? I'd like to see you try!" Bora sneered, raising his arms to take aim at the flying duo. "Prominence Typhoon!" he yelled, shooting a forceful stream of purple fire at the pair. It lit the room with a violet glow and heated the air with its intensity.

Natsu simply grinned, opening his mouth to nosily slurp the flames up. As the lasts wisps of flames were sucked into his mouth, he let out a loud satisfied belch, "Thanks for the food."

Bora and his men stared in horrified shock, "Wha-What the hell are you?"

A thug to his right answered the question, trembling in fear, "Sir, I-I think that's the _real_ Salamander," to which Bora responded by paling, swallowing audibly in dread.

Natsu raised his fists to his mouth, stomach expanding with the warmth of his inner flames, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" he breathed out, scorching the cowering men beneath him.

They screamed in terror, dropping their female hostages. The girls, finally waking from their drug induced sleep, screeched in fear and hastily fled to the upper deck of the ship, hoping to get away from the raging madman belching out fire.

Soon the room cleared out and the only ones remaining were the duo flying in the air and the purple haired fake. Bora, having fallen to the ground onto his bottom in shock, gazed up at Natsu in petrified awe.

"Natsu," Happy murmured weakly, "I won't be able to hold you up for much longer."

"That's fine," he answered darkly, hand already lighting up with a malevolent scarlet flame. "All I need is one punch."

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Lucy gave a tired sigh as she slumped against the captain's wheel, aching limbs shaking with fatigue. It had taken everything in her to get the ship to turn. As it was, she didn't think that she had enough energy to even lift a pinky at the moment.

She took a deep breath, relishing how cool the sea breeze felt on her fevered skin. Gazing around the deck, her eyes landed on the unconscious captain and she couldn't help breathing out a small chuckle. Seeing the red footprint on his forehead reminded her of the surprised look on his face when she and Happy appeared in the air out of nowhere and she greeted the man with a "Lucy Kick!" to the face.

Now that she was stuck with waiting, Lucy could feel the pain the adrenaline had numbed before creeping back. Eyes she hadn't realized she'd shut, opened in alarm when three beefy men climbed to the deck hurriedly. They rapidly made their way to her, glaring as they recognized her. "You again," one hissed in annoyance.

The blonde gave them a weak smirk in response, inwardly panicking. They closed in on her, fist raised, and she felt herself tense in preparation for the imminent strike when the ship suddenly shook violently. The bulky men fell to the ground at the movement, cursing and yelling all the while. Lucy held on desperately to the wheel.

The tremors soon calmed down and the men looked at one another, bewildered. "Wha-what was that?" they asked one another.

A knowing look entered the Celestial mage's eyes as the smell of burning wood entered the air. 'Natsu…' she thought, grateful for the distraction.

The trio, however, received their answer in the form of screaming men and women that ran out from the hull. Looks of terror decorated their faces as they bemoaned their fate, hysterically jabbering about some kind of "fire-breathing demon" down below. The cacophony of noise ricocheted in Lucy's head and it took all her concentration to focus past the black spots that dotted her vision.

Chaos further exploded on deck when a panic-stricken girl pointed a quivering finger toward a spot in the distance. "The shore," she gasped, "We're going to hit it!"

Lucy turned lethargically, chest aching with how fast her heart was beating. 'Ah, I knew I was forgetting something,' she thought, oddly detached, breathes getting harder and harder to take. The blonde closed her eyes and braced for impact, the only one in the frenzied crowd to remain calm.

Her eyes opened in shock, however, when a pair of arms wrapped around her in a protective embrace. A woodsy smell mixed with the scent of ash seeped into her nose and her body relaxed unconsciously. "Natsu," she gasped out, relieved enough to cry.

"Got…ya…" he managed to gurgle, past the nausea that churned the contents of his stomach. The Dragonslayer managed to tuck her head into his chest just as the ship crashed into the port ruthlessly.

The wooden structure hit the harbor with a booming crack that sounded as if the earth had been split in half. Lucy's teeth rattled in her skull despite the solid protection of Natsu's arms. People around them were screaming and crying as companions were tossed overboard from the force of the collision.

As the dust and debris from the impact settled, the surprised hush that befell the on looking crowd swiftly escalated into a roar. Terrified yells transformed into cheers when the Magic Council rushed to the scene, pushing past bystanders to get to the source of the commotion.

Natsu muttered an oath, "Looks like it's time to split. Happy you alright, buddy?"

The feline, poking his head out from where he was clinging onto Natsu's back, gave a shaky, "Aye, sir," in reply.

"How about you, Lucy?" The Dragonslayer murmured, furtively keeping a look out on the Magic Council's progress. After a silent moment, he turned a concerned look to the girl still wrapped in his embrace, "Lucy?"

He pulled her away from him to get a closer look at her. As soon as she left the warmth of his overheated body, the blond began shivering uncontrollably. Her head lolled back and Natsu could see brown eyes with dilated pupils glazed over. Though the night air was cool and she was shaking as if she was cold, Lucy's pale face was lined with sweat. "Lucy!"

Natsu's scared shout had Happy finally leave his perch. The sight before his eyes made his heart drop, "Wha-what do we do Natsu? Lucy is, Lucy is –" and though the feline didn't finish the statement, both of them knew what he was going to say.

Lucy was going into magical shock.

And if they didn't find her help soon, she would most likely die.

Not waiting another moment, Natsu gathered the girl into his arms in a bridal carry, expression unwavering. "We're heading straight to the Old Lady's place. Happy, if I give you some time to rest, will you be able to carry Lucy the rest of the way at Max Speed?"

Happy pushed his worry down, saluting resolutely, "You can count on me!"

"Then let's get going!" Natsu said, hoping off the side of the destroyed ship with Happy hanging tightly to his back. The two ran from the wreckage that had once been a beautiful port, ignoring the yells from the guards chasing after them. Soon enough, the beautiful stone buildings of Hargeon transformed into the brush and bramble of the surrounding forest. Natsu pushed himself to move faster, ignoring the stitch forming in his side.

The thought of something bad happening to the strange girl in his arms made his stomach clench painfully, which was odd. Why did he care so much? What was it about this blond, that he had met just this morning, that made him so desperate now? Sure, Natsu was moral enough to do everything in his power to save someone dying before his eyes but somehow this was different. From the moment he and Happy had met Lucy, he'd felt as if he'd always known the girl. To not have her in his life, by his side felt _wrong_.

"Just hang on Lucy!" the Dragonslayer panted out, frustrated that the only thing he could do at this point was encourage the sickly girl. "We'll get you help in no time and then I'll show you what the number one guild in Fiore is really like. So don't you dare give up!" He chanced a glance down and noticed that Lucy's lips seemed to be moving as if she were trying to speak. Knowing that it had to be important for her to attempt to speak in her condition, he leaned in further to decipher words that held no sound.

For Lucy, the world had blended into a blur of color. Vague shapes resembling blobs floated in and out of her vision until there was only one in front of her. The pink figure moved closer and she wondered if it was someone trying to speak to her. But for some reason, everything had become muted so that the only noise she could her was the pounding of her heart and the rush of blood in her ears. Fear clawed at her frantically, dragging silent words to numb lips before the black creeping in on the edges of her vision covered everything in darkness.

'_N-na..tsu…sor-ry…don't…t-think…going…to…m-m-make…it…'_

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Porlyusica was just settling down to a freshly brewed cup of morning tea when the peaceful silence of the woods was interrupted by the violent banging at her front door.

"Help, help! I need your help, Porlyusica-san! Please open up!" A high-pitched voice cried.

The old woman grit her teeth, determined to ignore the request. When the pounding on the door only increased and the shouting got louder, she rose to her feet in anger, "Go away! I don't accept visitors! Didn't you see the sign out there? NO HUMANS ALLOWED!"

"I'm not a human," the voice bit out impatiently, "But whatever, that doesn't even matter. My friend is _dying_. We need your help, _please. _If I told you I was from Fairy Tail would that change your mind?"

There was a desperate edge to the voice that had the old woman curious despite herself. Dying? What an over exaggeration. Still, if the person was actually from Fairy Tail, Makarov would never let her hear the end of it if she didn't at least hear them out. Besides, this way the old geezer would owe her and Porlyuscia wasn't one to pass up the opportunity of gaining a favor from the normally stingy man. "Fine," she gritted out, moving to open the locked door.

From the open doorway, the strangest sight greeted the healer. A familar small feline hovered at the doorway, carrying an unconscious girl with a long blue tail. Its dirty blue fur was riddled with leaves and twigs that were clinging onto sweat slicked hair. Yet it wasn't that, that caught the woman's eye. It was the young girl in the cat's grasp that drew her attention. The blonde was deathly pale and her chest hardly moved from the shallow breathes that she took. Sweat dripped heavily down her face onto a damp shirt that clung to her as if it were a second skin. Porlyuscia's senses as a healer swiftly took over, "Quickly, lay her on the bed," she said, no nonsense tone severe.

Maybe it wasn't such an over exaggeration after all.

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Natsu had never been gladder in his life to see the old lady's bizarre home. His lungs burned with the need to breathe and the ache in his side was nearly unbearable but none of that registered through the sense of satisfaction at having finally reached their desired destination. That relief rapidly faded when he heard the shouts coming from the tree house.

"What's happening!? Can't you help her?" Happy's voice reached his ears. Natsu was frightened by how it had taken on the choked quality of someone who was speaking past sobs.

"What's happening," Natsu yelled bursting into the cluttered room.

He'd always hated the medical smell the clung to the walls of the old lady's home but he would have preferred it to the metallic scent that clung to the air. Panic reared its ugly head as he watched Porlyuscia and Happy doing their best to hold Lucy down as her body convulsed. Her lips were painted red from the blood that accompanied each harsh cough that ripped out of her throat.

Natsu turned to the old woman urgently, "Isn't there anything you can do? You're a healer, aren't you!?"

"Shut your fool mouth and get over here and help!" she replied with difficulty.

Natsu rushed forward to hold down the girl's legs that had begun to kick violently. "Why is she getting worse?" he gnashed out, loathing how helpless he felt, watching Lucy suffer.

"Look kid, just because I'm a healer doesn't mean I'm some kind of miracle worker. This isn't something I can fix!" The woman answered, frustrated. "Her body is going into shock because it's rejecting her magic! I've never seen anything like this happen before. The only thing I can do at this point is try and stabilize her for as long as possible. Everything else is up to her."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," Natsu replied firmly, trying to hide his worry behind a show of confidence, "if she's anywhere near as stubborn as me, right Happy?"

The Exceed offered him a shaky smile, "R-right!"

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_Brown eyes opened, squinting through the bright sunlight that burst forth from the cloudless blue sky overhead. Lucy tried to raise her right hand to shield against the glare only to notice the absence of feeling in the appendage. Sitting up in surprise, she looked down and discovered with a jolt that her appearance had changed back to that of her future self, raggedy cloak, scars, burns and all. It was the body she remembered but it felt foreign somehow, because for the first time in years she wasn't in any kind of pain._

_She rose to stand, slowly taking in the endless field of golden grains before her, "Where in Earthland am I?" she wondered._

"_Who are you?" a familiar yet unfamiliar voice questioned behind her. Lucy turned around sharply and was met with the most peculiar sight. Herself. _

_Only not exactly, because it had been over a decade since she'd stopped wearing her hair in such a childish style or bothered wearing such revealing and ostentatious clothing. '_My past self,_' Lucy thought in wonder. Coming face to face with her old naïve self, made an uncomfortable feeling slither its way through her until it settled heavily in her heart. _

"_I'm you. From the future," the cloaked girl responded._

"_Me?" her counterpart breathed out in disbelief, eyeing the wounds and welts that disfigured what was supposed to be her own face years from now. Her face paled further when a gust of wind revealed the fact that her "future self" was missing her right arm. "But how? Why?" she asked, voice quivering. _

_The ground beneath them shook and the sky above them seemed to darken. Future Lucy understanding the signs for what they were, responded with hurried words, "Look, we don't really have the time for me to explain."_

_Past Lucy looked around them in confusion, "Why, what's happening?"_

_Fighting down her irritation at the girls lack of comprehension, future Lucy's responded bluntly, "We're dying."_

"_WHAT!?"_

"_Calm down and listen," the cloaked girl's harsh tone softened as she watched the other's attempt to remain composed, realizing how unfair she was being. "Your body is failing because it's rejecting my magic but we can fix that. You just need to let yourself accept my presence here."_

"_But what happens if I do? To me and to you?" the young girl responded suspiciously, doe eyes conflicted. Was it selfish of her to be hesitant to follow the girl's instructions when she didn't understand why her future self was even here? When it wasn't even clear she would regain control of a body that was _hers_ in the first place? _

_As if to reflect past Lucy's doubts, the world around them blacked out briefly before relighting. _

"_You don't trust me. I get it. We might both be 'Lucy' but that doesn't mean we're the 'same'. How can we be, when we haven't shared the same experiences?" Future Lucy breathed out a sigh before continuing, "But I need you to believe me when I say this: If we don't do something soon the two of us will cease to exist."_

_Past Lucy bit her lip, trying to come to terms with their predicament with difficulty, pressed for time as they both were. "Okay," she finally said, eyes resolute, "I'll believe in you so tell me what you need me to do." _

_Future Lucy approached the other blond until they were a step apart. "Take a deep breath and focus on your magic. Bring it to the surface and let it envelope you."_

_The younger girl nodded, following the instructions, concentrating past the tremors that continued to rock the landscape around them. Soon enough, a golden glow glimmered around her. Future Lucy mirrored the actions but the light that surrounded her was murkier, tainted with a darkness that her counterpart's lacked. _

_The older girl offered a sad smile when she caught the other blonde's horrified look, "I made a deal with the devil to save the people I love. As you can see, it's left its mark."_

_Young Lucy grabbed the other girl's hand in both of her own, "Was the future really that bad for you?" _

_The heartbreaking pain reflected in her future self's eyes was all the answer she needed. It was filled with such an all-encompassing sadness that for a moment the younger girl feared her counterpart would fall apart right then and there._

_But even as her heart bled in sympathy for the other, there was another emotion that came to the surface, one that was darker, uglier. '_People that I love._' The lonely little girl in her was jealous that the future girl had found the companionship she had craved, even if she had lost it. If the two of them merged, would past Lucy be allowed that slice of happiness? _

"_What happens now?" the young blonde asked, breaking the silence that had formed between them. The magic that gleamed around them had begun to mix, lightening the dirty yellow and darkening the bright gold until they reached a shade in between. When the melding was complete, the bodies of the two girls slowly began to fade. _

_Future Lucy's voice was barely above a whisper when she answered, "I don't know."_

_And with that, the two disappeared as the grains of wheat disintegrated into dust and the ground crumbled beneath them._

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TBC

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